I didn’t find the game had any difficulty spikes after chapter 7. The biggest difficulty spike for me was Chapter 4, the giant robot at the end of the factory (mostly because that’s where I was forced to learn the systems, all other spikes just needed a stay at the inn to use the bonus XP; even chapter 4 was NOWHERE near as Xord from XC, which requires a ton of grinding, even on my third play through it required more grinding than any point in XC2; and then there were bigger ones such as Lorithia, Gadolt, and Zanza at the end of the game - which (if you were as grossly under leveled for the point I was) required you to turn off the game and return to the save point - a while back, in order to grind out levels - extra annoying because you need to set aside a significant amount of time in order to get past that portion, and if something comes along (and you need to turn off the game) you lose all your progress, which could be quite substantial. There is nothing like that in XC2. XC2 is much better balanced, but it’s also a shorter game.

Still, I think the worst difficulty spikes of any Takahashi game are still Xenosaga Episode 2. Even on my second play through it took me about ten attempts to get past the Patriarch. That boss is the most brutal I have come across in a post early-16-bit RPG (You have to go back to games like Phantasy Star 2 and Seventh Saga to see spikes like that)

With the kind of sales XC 2 got/will get, and how early we are in the Switch life, I 100% expect XC 3 or XC X 2 to come to Switch in about three years time.

So this game (and the team) suffered because Nintendo wanted to prioritize their own Zelda ?

That's a pity. I quite liked Xenoblade chronicles on Wii and I think (like Capcom with Monster Hunter) they should totally ditch Nintendo to work on more capable hardware.

So this game (and the team) suffered because Nintendo wanted to prioritize their own Zelda ?

That's a pity. I quite liked Xenoblade chronicles on Wii and I think (like Capcom with Monster Hunter) they should totally ditch Nintendo to work on more capable hardware.

Difference is up until World, Capcom was holding MonHun back by not giving them the resources and time to push themselves and realize a larger vission.  With Monolith Soft, Nintendo is the only partner/owner they have ever had that backed their play.  Before Nintendo, Monolith Soft had properly finished exactly 0 of their big, ambitious projects.  Xenogears wasn't properly finished, Xenosaga was obviously unfinished and large parts unrefined.  Xenoblade Chronicles as the first time a publisher allowed them to see such a large project to completion.  And all three Xenoblades have been this way.  Honestly, their acquisition by Nintendo is probably the best thing that could have happened.  And this game I doubt suffered in any significant way.  It was a challenge, but Monolith Soft has never backed down from those.

It's the best thing for Nintendo, sure. They never could have made the ambitious BOTW without Monolith soft technical expertise on big open world game running on underpowered hardware. I was very impressed by their Wii game.

It's the best thing for Nintendo, sure. They never could have made the ambitious BOTW without Monolith soft technical expertise on big open world game running on underpowered hardware. I was very impressed by their Wii game.